375 H&H, or perhaps a 375 RUM.

Elmer Keith was asked many years ago if one needed a 44 Magnum, or if a 357 would work.

His response: "The 44 of course. I can always down load it to 357 power levels..."

quote:

Originally posted by Dogleg:
I cranked some 380 grain Rhinos out of my Alaskan from the bench. You might not want to do that on a regular basis.

Just thinking of this makes me flinch

Had both, sold the 338WM. Will never sell my BRNO 602 .375 H&H.

The 3 most basic reasons that favor the .375 H&H over the 338WM have already been stated:

(1) the actual felt-recoil of the .375 is less than the 338;

(2) the .375 has a much wider selection of bullet-weights and styles for a wider range of hunting applications. That fact obviously covers anything you'd use the 338 for and beyond;

(3) the .375 enjoys world-wide acceptance (i.e., it meets the predominant legal requirements) for taking any huntable game animal on the planet.

quote:

Originally posted by Chad T:

quote:

Originally posted by Dogleg:
I cranked some 380 grain Rhinos out of my Alaskan from the bench. You might not want to do that on a regular basis.

Just thinking of this makes me flinch

It was quite spirited.

If you seriously plan to hunt DG in Africa then the .375 would be the logical choice. If North American big and/or dangerous game is on the menu, then I would choose the .338 Win Mag.
As far as recoil, my Ruger 77R in .338 with 225 gr Nosler Partitons at 2890 fps had far less felt recoil then my heavier WInchester Model 70 and Ruger #1 in .375 H&H. The .338 WM did, however, have more muzzle flash.
You did say you would consider other calibers so, to make this really confusing, you might consider the .35 Whelen (250 gr. NP at 2586 fps in an 8 pound rifle). Felt recoil in my Remington 700 Classic was about like a 30/06 with 180 grain bullets. It killed like lightning in Africa. And my rifle DOES Stabilize 300 gr Barnes Original bullets, which can be loaded to over 2300 fps.
Or 9.3x62 Mauser. Slightly more felt recoil in my 8 1/2# CZ 550 Lux (286 gr bullets at 2400+ fps) than the Whelen but also slightly more power than the Whelen. The 9.3x62 comes real close to the .375 H&H with noticeably less recoil and noticeably less weight, especially at 4:00 p.m. after an all day hunt.
If this was my decision, I would choose a 9.3x62. It has worked on everything in Africa for over a hundred years, most of those years with bullets that don't hold a candle to the great choices we have today.

Buy the .375 H&H and never look back. It is a classic cartridge with history and sex appeal. Every hunter should have owned and hunted with at least one .375 H&H. Continue to be a part of wonderful hunting history. The .375 H&H is a must.

Hell, get a .416. I am serious.

Bigger is better, given the constraints of distance. I'm good to 200 yds. and have stretched it to 300 yds. with my .416. What else could you possibly need?

I've carried a .375 as a backup on a few occasions, but never actually shot anything with it.

On the other hand, I've shot everything from turkeys and whitetails on this side of the pond to duikers to elephant in Africa with my .416. they all died.

Best all around cartridge I could recommend.

quote:

Originally posted by p dog shooter:
I have a 338wm and a 416 no need for a 375.

But if a good 375 would come along on the free market at the right price I would own one of them also.

Well, you almost have a perfect rifle battery, except for one caliber that's missing, and that's a .270.

.270
.338WM
.416

That said, I only have one big game rifle (.338WM), so I am missing two from my perfect rifle battery. The .338 is quite popular in here, and I have settled to one bullet weight for all my hunting in Alaska, the 225-grain Barnes TSX with the plastic tip.

Long ago I considered the .375 H&H versus the .338, and chose the latter because I don't ever plan to hunt in Africa.

This poll should give you some ideas about which caliber to choose for Alaska hunting:
http://forums.outdoorsdirector...unting-rifle-caliber

Forgot to add that there are quite a large number of bullet types and weights of .338-caliber, and all bullet manufacturers offer a few weights, including the following:

Barnes
185-grain through 250 grains

NOS
180-grains through 300-grain Spitzer

Sierra
215-grain through 300 grains

Woodleigh
Up to 300 grains

Swift
210
225
250
275

Sierra
215 through 300 grains

an old standard of forum...
if you go africa 375 only for regulation question. if you plan to hunt mostly Alaska.... Go with a 338 without hesitation.

1) The 338 is an outstanding big/dangerous game with 250-300 grains bullets.

2) the recoil is not harder or less than a 375HH just different:. it's more a "snap" than a "push" but overall you can shoot it faster than a 375HH.

3) from 200 grains to 300 grains, you can hunt from deer to brown bear. If you can go dall sheep hunting with a 338, it would be less adequate with a 375/250 grains.

4) if you hit a big game with a .338, you will notice a huge difference with a .300. If you hit a big game with a 375 you won't notice any difference with a 338.

5) the 338 WMG can be use with a standard length action. it's great. faster reload, better fitting.

6) you HAVE to use the 338 WMG with 250 grains and 275 grains if you go after big/dangerous game. The actual trend to use the 338WMG with 200-225 grains bullets make it "less caliber".

7) if you handload no big deal. you can load some stout load in 250/275 grains if not you have to select some commercial stout loads like Buffalo Bore (250grs X), Double Tap (300grs)hornady superformance 225 grains Interbond, Sako 275 or 250 grains RN.

8)barrel length. I start with a 24ic next was a 22ic and now for sure the 338WMG is a 23/24ic barrel cartridge what ever expters can say.

9) you have two out of the box "amazing" rifle available in 338WMG. Ruger Hawkeye African and Sako 85 both available in 375HH but definitely a "must to have" in 338WMG.

It seems strange that in a thread of this length that no one mentioned the 375 Ruger.

The little Alaskan model, laminate pepper stock with 20" barrel is still available in places (like CDNN sports?) and is a great handling rifle. My wife, who has a 270Win, just got a 375 Ruger and appreciates the compact, overall feel.

My son and I, on the other hand have enjoyed the 338 for 30 years, in Win Mod70, in Ruger, and in Tikka, both woodstocked Hunter and T3-Lite composite. The 225 grain .338" TTSX has a .514 BC and makes the 338 WM a do all rifle in North America out to 400+ yards.

My advice for North America is choose for North America.

When and if you ever get to go to Africa, treat yourself to an over-40 calibre rifle. Of course a 375Ruger or 375H&H makes an excellent backup/second rifle for Africa. My wife chose the 375Ruger for hartebeest and the option to have a buffalo license written on it.

BTW, the extra case capacity in the 375Ruger allows it to duplicate H&H loads in a 20" barrel.

If I was in Mark T.'s position, I'd haunt the gun shows, picking up every .338 and .375 there was. Eventually the right rifle at the right price would show up. Given that either caliber will do the stated job, the rifle seems to be the important thing.

Dean

stick with the 375 Holland. All these comparisons end up "compared to the H&H". and falling short.

You aren't going to be shooting steel targets at a mile or so, just live game at 300 or less. 90% of the time less than that.

1. Ten years ago I wasn't planning to go to Africa either. Things change.

2. Jack O'Connor killed most of his Brown/Grizzly Bear and Moose with a friggin' .270 Winchester.

quote:

Originally posted by 416Tanzan:
It seems strange that in a thread of this length that no one mentioned the 375 Ruger.


BTW, the extra case capacity in the 375Ruger allows it to duplicate H&H loads in a 20" barrel.

That is primarily the reason that the 375 Ruger is rapidly supplanting the 338 Win as THE Alaska Guide's rifle.

I think the 375 Ruger is definitely a better "horse" than the H&H and not because you get the H&H performance in a 20ic. I try one with a 23ic and if I had to buy one it would be this barrel lentgh.

"In every direction" you can look at, the 375 Ruger is better than the H&H.

quote:

Originally posted by Idaho Sharpshooter:
stick with the 375 Holland. All these comparisons end up "compared to the H&H". and falling short.

You aren't going to be shooting steel targets at a mile or so, just live game at 300 or less. 90% of the time less than that.

1. Ten years ago I wasn't planning to go to Africa either. Things change.

2. Jack O'Connor killed most of his Brown/Grizzly Bear and Moose with a friggin' .270 Winchester.

quote:

Originally posted by 458Win:

quote:

Originally posted by 416Tanzan:
It seems strange that in a thread of this length that no one mentioned the 375 Ruger.


BTW, the extra case capacity in the 375Ruger allows it to duplicate H&H loads in a 20" barrel.

That is primarily the reason that the 375 Ruger is rapidly supplanting the 338 Win as THE Alaska Guide's rifle.

for sure... with the new "blood".... "old" and "new-old school" guide like me looove 338 !

Are they still making the Ruger? Has anybody but Ruger chambered for it?

If you have a 338 wm, the 375 HH is only a minor step-up in power.

So minor you can ignore it.... but you can't ignore 338WMG advantage !

if you want a real set-up in power you have to go with a 416 (Strike/hit on heavy game is undisputably harder) or best a 458.

An experienced hunter knows that... No argu...

quote:

Originally posted by Idaho Sharpshooter:
Are they still making the Ruger? Has anybody but Ruger chambered for it?

Very good one Idaho....

quote:

Originally posted by Idaho Sharpshooter:
Are they still making the Ruger? Has anybody but Ruger chambered for it?

Idaho makes a good point. Every gun company who sells centerfire rifles makes, or has made, at least one model in .375 H&H, a cartridge that's been around since 1912.

I have yet to see a Ruger .375 rifle actually hit the shelf at my typically well-stocked LGS. So if they're out there none have made it to my neck of the woods.

And if you can get a 20" .375 Ruger rifle, you can get or make a 20" 375 H&H rifle. Either would make for a short, handy, close-range Alaskan bush gun. It's not hard to chop down a barrel and re-set the front sight. So I see ZERO advantage in choosing a .375 Ruger over a .375 H&H.

I suppose if Africa isn't in the cards but you plan on doing mulitple hunts in Alaska for all the big critters (bear, moose, cariboo), the .338WM is fine. It's obviously popular with the locals, so finding ammo there (if you needed to) isn't likely to be an issue. But I still wouldn't trade my .375H&H for a .338WM, since the .375 covers whatever I'd hunt in Africa or Alaska.

When looking for my wife's gun a few months ago, we saw multi versions of Rugers (Alaskan model, African model, and Guide Gun) plus Howa plus Monatana, to choose from.

On brass, we are happy with the Hornady, but it is nice to see that Nosler has come out with their high quality brass in 375Ruger, too.

For that matter, anyone wanting to clean up a 7mmMag/300 and either rebarrel or re-bore could choose a 375Ruger. It would fit in any standard length setup with a .532" boltface.

As for chopping a 375H&H down, the Ruger gains a 1/4" and has five grains more capacity when taking out that new 20" rifle. If I had a 375H&H I would not be thinking about conversion, but when looking for my wife's rifle the 375Ruger was much more attractive and came in much handier rifles. She does not like holding our CZ 550Safaris in 416Rigby. They feel massive compared to the 375Ruger. Bigger grip, longer barrel, heavier weight. And since her stock doesn't have a cheek piece her leftie Ruger might get borrowed by husband or son or daughter-in-law, sometime.

I shoot the .338 Win and the 375 H&H, also the 9.3x62..

The .338 with a 210 Nosler at 3000 FPS is a fine long range elk and moose rifle. with the 300 gr. Woodleighs it is capable of anything short of elephant in the right hands.

The 9.3x62 is a fine bush veld short range caliber for most, if not all, of what Africa has to offer and the .375 is just a bit better IMO and mostly because it has more range than the 9.3x62.

I would suggest that of the three, you would be hard pressed to make a bad decision for normal hunting ranges in the North American continent. Personally for the North American continent, I would prefer the .338 Win.

Recoil is most with the .375, then the .338 then the 9.3x62, that's a proven mathamatical fact. Any hunter should be able to deal with the recoil of any of the above if they are properly stocked and with just a little practice.

Felt recoil has more to do with stock fit and design thus some feel the 338 Win. kicks harder than a 375.

I just got both. I would hate to have a .375 ruger and lose my ammo somewhere. .375 weatherby is an easy conversion and allows using both H+H and weatherby ammo. Just was reading about Archery Grizz hunters and they seems to like the .375 cut down to 20" as a backup. When I was sitting near a moose carcass waiting for my buddies for a couple hours with my .338 I felt OK, but I would have felt better with something bigger.

That said I've never actually used my 2 .375's yet on game. Used the .338 a lot and the .416 in Africa. Both those worked perfect and obviously due to longevity and reputation so will the .375. I like the way the .375's feed in Winchester actions. Slick as snot just like it was designed to do. Easy ammo to find. Lots of loads. Heavy bullets. Can hunt Africa (you will want too). Or just get them all like I do because its fun and see what you like best. .338 is a hammer on elk and moose I know that for sure.

quote:

Originally posted by 416Tanzan:

* * * As for chopping a 375H&H down, the Ruger gains a 1/4" and has five grains more capacity when taking out that new 20" rifle. * * *

Dude, that made no sense at all and failed to advance the proposition under consideration one whit.

Just sayin'.

quote:

Originally posted by Nick Adams:

quote:

Originally posted by 416Tanzan:

* * * As for chopping a 375H&H down, the Ruger gains a 1/4" and has five grains more capacity when taking out that new 20" rifle. * * *

Dude, that made no sense at all and failed to advance the proposition under consideration one whit.

Just sayin'.

I would be glad to explain.
Barrels are measured from the breech, from the cartridge base to the muzzle. If a brass cartridge is 2.5" long and the bullet is seated .5" into the neck, then the bullet will travel approxiamately 18" to exit in a 20" barrel. If a brass cartridge is 2.8" long and the bullet is similarly seated, then the bullet can only travel 17.7" before exiting. That means less push on the bullet. And if the bullet with the longer barrel travel also has a 5.5 grain powder capacity advantage, then it is close to making up the advantage that a 23" H&H might otherwise have against a 20" Ruger. In other words a 20" 375 Ruger will have a very close muzzle velocity to a 375H&H 23" barrel.

In equal barrel lengths the Ruger may have a 40-50fps advantage, plus the handling advantage from potentially lighter receiver and rifle if the rifle was designed specifically for a standard length cartridge. Such differences are not ballistically significant for hunting but they do allow the Ruger to produce equal ballistics to the H&H in shorter barrels.

Anyway, my wife likes the package size of her 20" laminate Alaskan, left hand, although she doesn't push the ballistics to the max, which allows her to use faster powders like H4895, which are more efficient in shorter barrels than slower powders. These are very small differences, but they are in Ruger's favor.

I did think about the 375 Ruger but there is so many more factory loads available for the 375 H&H. I am planning on reloading for it but don't necessarily want to have to rely on only my handloads.

quote:

Originally posted by mdstewart:
Buy the .375 H&H and never look back. It is a classic cartridge with history and sex appeal. Every hunter should have owned and hunted with at least one .375 H&H. Continue to be a part of wonderful hunting history. The .375 H&H is a must.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^


Couldn't have said it better myself!

The 338 WMG is a classic too...

Thy,
I realize that your are a .338 man but I am going to play devils advocate here on a couple of points.

quote:

1) The 338 is an outstanding big/dangerous game with 250-300 grains bullets.

The .375H&H is an outstanding dangerous game gun with 270 to 380 gr bullets.

quote:

2) the recoil is not harder or less than a 375HH just different:. it's more a "snap" than a "push" but overall you can shoot it faster than a 375HH.

Really depends on the operator more than the rifle. We are talking inconsequential increments here.

quote:

from 200 grains to 300 grains, you can hunt from deer to brown bear. If you can go dall sheep hunting with a 338, it would be less adequate with a 375/250 grains.

Or you could use a 230 gr bullet in your .375H&H and push it right at 3,000 FPS.

quote:

if you hit a big game with a .338, you will notice a huge difference with a .300. If you hit a big game with a 375 you won't notice any difference with a 338.

Agreed until you get up to really big stuff but we are talking North America here.

quote:

the 338 WMG can be use with a standard length action. it's great. faster reload, better fitting.

Once again inconsequential increments.

quote:

you HAVE to use the 338 WMG with 250 grains and 275 grains if you go after big/dangerous game. The actual trend to use the 338WMG with 200-225 grains bullets make it "less caliber".

Same for the .375H&H with less than 270 gr bullet IMO.

Basically the .338 WM and the .375H&H or Ruger are so close that there is almost no noticeable difference in shoot-ability or terminal performance.

Agreed to above. I am toying with the idea of rechambering my stainless synthetic M70 classic to .375 weatherby. Not only will you get a noticeable performance increase but can still use H+H if necessary. Sounds like a perfect deal to me.

Are the rugers true controlled round feed? I don't know much about them but the factory 20" seem pretty neat

quote:

Originally posted by gunslinger55:
Agreed to above. I am toying with the idea of rechambering my stainless synthetic M70 classic to .375 weatherby. Not only will you get a noticeable performance increase but can still use H+H if necessary. Sounds like a perfect deal to me.

Are the rugers true controlled round feed? I don't know much about them but the factory 20" seem pretty neat

Yes. True controlled round feed.
My wife even learned to punch new rounds down into the magazine follower rather than leave them loose in the action when adding a round at the shooting range. I explained that some controlled feeds don't like to snap the extractor claw over the extraction rim on a case.

quote:

Originally posted by surestrike:
Thy,
I realize that your are a .338 man but I am going to play devils advocate here on a couple of points.

quote:

1) The 338 is an outstanding big/dangerous game with 250-300 grains bullets.

The .375H&H is an outstanding dangerous game gun with 270 to 380 gr bullets.

quote:

2) the recoil is not harder or less than a 375HH just different:. it's more a "snap" than a "push" but overall you can shoot it faster than a 375HH.

Really depends on the operator more than the rifle. We are talking inconsequential increments here.

quote:

from 200 grains to 300 grains, you can hunt from deer to brown bear. If you can go dall sheep hunting with a 338, it would be less adequate with a 375/250 grains.

Or you could use a 230 gr bullet in your .375H&H and push it right at 3,000 FPS.

quote:

if you hit a big game with a .338, you will notice a huge difference with a .300. If you hit a big game with a 375 you won't notice any difference with a 338.

Agreed until you get up to really big stuff but we are talking North America here.

quote:

the 338 WMG can be use with a standard length action. it's great. faster reload, better fitting.

Once again inconsequential increments.

quote:

you HAVE to use the 338 WMG with 250 grains and 275 grains if you go after big/dangerous game. The actual trend to use the 338WMG with 200-225 grains bullets make it "less caliber".

Same for the .375H&H with less than 270 gr bullet IMO.

Basically the .338 WM and the .375H&H or Ruger are so close that there is almost no noticeable difference in shoot-ability or terminal performance.

Hello,
I have nothing against .375 and not a 338 craze...
Sorry but, The 375 is definitely not a .338 in term of versality here...

1)Shoot a 230 gr .375 is like shoot a "brick".

2)Try to shoot a stout load 275 or 300 grain .in 338 WMG it's damn efficient... right big stuff here are Moose, Brown Bear.

3)Yes, I have never seen a difference when you hit a game with a .338 or 375 and even 416 on Moose and BB(I can give you live story).

4) In Africa to go after Lion, Leopard, Elan, Koudou etc you're better fitted with a 338. A 338 is more efficient than a .375

I know most of "expert" won't agree, but it's the truth. Internal expansion, energy transfer and damage are greater than with 375 on medium game.
Sure the 375 is better on buffalo but the difference between a buffalo hit with a 338 and a 375 is maybe two more steps....

So if I like the idea to have a 375 cause it allows to hunt Alaska, Africa. I don't think it's the "best tool". One of my good friend is a pro-hunter (25 years / 9 months a year) and has one of the best area in africa so he has plenty test opportunities. I had a long talk with him two years ago. His conclusion. He started is career with a 375HH for all classic reasons.... Today he use a 338 WMG and a 458 WMG (after a try with the Lott). Why cause on Medium African game & Lion/Leopard the 338 is better. On very Heavy game (buffalo/Elephant) the only "speaker" is from his point of view the 458.

I'm not saying the 375 is a wrong choice. it's the most versatile choice in Africa and soft recoil cartridge; but definitely not the best choice overthere and in Alaska (especially).

Sincerely

quote:

Ursus wrote,
Hello,
I have nothing against .375 and not a 338 craze...
Sorry but, The 375 is definitely not a .338 in term of versality here...

1)Shoot a 230 gr .375 is like shoot a "brick".

2)Try to shoot a stout load 275 or 300 grain .in 338 WMG... right big stuff here are Moose, Brown Bear.

3)Yes, I have never seen a difference when you hit a game with a .338 or 375 and even 416 on Moose and BB(I can give you live story).

4) In Africa to go after Lion, Leopard, Elan, Koudou etc you're better fitted with a 338. A 338 is more efficient than a .375

I know most of "expert" won't agree, but it's the truth. Internal expansion, energy transfer and damage are greater than with 375 on medium game.
Sure the 375 is better on buffalo but the difference between a buffalo hit with a 338 and a 375 is maybe two more steps....

So if I like the idea to have a 375 cause it allows to hunt Alaska, Africa. I don't think it's the "best tool". One of my good friend is a pro-hunter (25 years / 9 months a year) and has one of the best area in africa so he has plenty test opportunities. I had a long talk with him two years ago. His conclusion. He started is career with a 375HH for all classic reasons.... Today he use a 338 WMG and a 458 WMG (after a try with the Lott). Why cause on Medium African game & Lion/Leopard the 338 is better. On very Heavy game (buffalo/Elephant) the only "speaker" is from is point of view the 458.

I'm not saying the 375 is a wrong choice. it's the most versatile choice in Africa and soft recoil cartridge; but definitely not the best choice overthere and in Alaska (especially).

Everything that you wrote is why I used a 338 in Africa in the 80's, and it worked fine. However, I now hunt in Tanzania where there is a law for .375" as a minimum calibre for writing a buffalo license. We still have a 338 and use it for antelope when the 416 is not in our hands.

Meanwhile, my wife has just gotten a 375 Ruger. Why?
1. She is a lefty, and needed her own rifle.
2. It meets legal diameter for anything. In another country she might have stayed with the old family calibre (338).
3. The 375 (especially the lightweight Ruger package) is still a great antelope gun.
It has some excellent lighter bullets these days in 200 GSC, 235 CEB-er raptor, 250 TTSX. The last two can be used on buffalo. For GSC's a person would choose the GSC 250 or 265 grain.

On reflection, discussing the 338 and 375 is alot like discussing the 270 vs 30-06.
Get some good builets, load them up and get your rifle to sing.

quote:

Originally posted by Thy:

Sorry but, The 375 is definitely not a .338 in term of versality here

1)Shoot a 230 gr .375 is like shoot a "brick".

4)A 338 is more efficient than a .375

Internal expansion, energy transfer and damage are greater than with 375 on medium game.

cause on Medium African game & Lion/Leopard the 338 is better.

Sincerely

Oh oh...

I have shot a lot of plainsgame in Africa and elk,moose, deer and bear etc. in the USA with both the .338 Win. and 375 H&H as I have had both for many years. I can't tell any difference at all in killing power between the two and toss in the 9.3x62 to that equasion, so it boils down to one thing, that is trajectory is the determining factor until you get to DG and even that is arguable..

The .338 shoots flatter than the other two, the 375 shoots flatter than the 9.3x62..They all 3 shoot 300 gr. bullets at about the same velocity. but SD comes into play along with other minor factors etc, etc.

Is any of this important, I have no idea but its fact..

I would probably grab the one closest to me for any situation in Africa, as ranges tend to be shorter and game more plentiful.

I would always opt for the .338 in the USA, Canada and Alaska. Yes the 375 is perhaps a better big bear gun, but I would not feel under gunned with a 9.3 or .338 for the big bears

Just suggestions, but any of the above choices under about any conditions is hardly worth getting your feeling hurt over! Certainly a battery of fine calibers.

quote:

But, I still think that the 338 Win Mag is one of the best hunting cartridges for BIG big game in the USA, including Alaska, and for Canada.

A 223, a 270WCF, and a 338 Win Mag, make a Great Trio of hunting rifles...

I like this...

Hello Ray, 416Tazan

I agree 200%....

I mean for America, Canada, Alaska the 338 WMG is the best choice even on Mister Brown Bear.

In africa, with minimum caliber regulation and if I'm limited to bring only one rifle, I would opt for a .375 ! And it would be a 375 Ruger.
This cartridge as Phil (458Win) said.... is one of the best designed cartridge. If you ad the ruger hawkeye african model (If I haven't shot this model I handled one at the SHOT) you can't ask a better couple "cartridge + rifle".

Mark T

you should look at the Ruger Hawkeye African model in 338 WMG (23 ic barrel, express sight, muzzle brake) the price in Alaska at "the Great Northern Guns" on Tudor was 1000$. out of the box it's a great rifle.

Jorge,

my perfect battery is 243/7mmRM/338WMG ;-)

best regards.
Ty

quote:

Originally posted by Dogleg:
I find the .375 to kick less than the .338 as well. Is less abrupt somehow, no matter what the numbers say.

I've shot plenty of both, and I'll get behind a 375 before I will a 338. The 375 pushes the hell out of you; the 338 jabs the hell out of you.

I'll toss my like of the 9.3X62 into this, also. But, for your purposes, a 338 Win is about perfect, IMO.
They are accurate and easy to come by, as is ammo for them, and the variety of truly great bullets for the 338 make it one of the great medium bores of all time.

Always does my heart good to see that personal choice/preference does not measure up to the Kangaroo Courts opinion of what is god or what will or won't work.

I am even more glad that the various Powers That Be don't enact legislation limiting us to the choices that some people endorse.

Personal choice folks, personal choice, but I would guess that the .375 H&H has killed more animals than the .338, regardless of continent.

I have a pair of .338 and a 375 H+H. I always grab the .338 first in North America. However, if I was just going to have 3 rifles.... never happen for me.
I would buy the 375 H+H just in case .. I went to Africa.
Performance on game is pretty much the same. MY 375 actually recoils less with 300 grain bullets than the 338's with 250 grain bullets.

I have a .338 win. mag. and two .375 H&H's. Both are fine calibers and ballistically for intended purposes are fairly equivalent in performance on game. They all are medium bores and nothing exotic.
Any increase in velocity in the miniscule amount marketed, is pure hype and sales driven. A .375 WBY , H&H ,Ruger or .338 will kill the same in the right hands.
Africa due to it's abundant game has been proven to be the ultimate test for caliber,bullets,cartridges,rifles etc.... Velocity has been proven not to be an asset but a detriment. Bullet impact stress, deformation,recoil,slower reaction time for back up shot and higher chamber pressure which is barely ever mentioned can lead to higher probability of case stickings at the worst of time.
The .375 H&H will run circles at all the above listed calibers. I sincerely hope none of you ever experience it. A paralleled walled Ruger that is in it's infancy stage is still in diapers. Excuse the pun.
I will get rid of the .338 before I ever the .375 H&H.
I respect all your opinions and wish you safe hunting.